Sand instead of Snow
by RayneSummer
Summary: post-u2; Adventure family go to the beach! Elena tries to bury Nate in sand. Shenanigans ensues.


**Universe:** Uncharted

 **Characters/Themes:** Adventure family!; domestic fluff. That's it.

 _Note: so I decided that after Among Thieves, Elena insisted on going to the beach. And so the adventure family end up on the beach. This is aggressively domestic post-h/c stuff, bc there is a fic I am writing that is set just before this, about them healing up. Anyway, post-u2 adventure family stuff. Enjoy!_

* * *

Elena looked around and grinned at the sight of her, well, boyfriend (for lack of a better word; fiancee was a little ambitious at this point, but only a little) sprawled out on his back, snoring lightly. She carefully sat up, the beach shifting under her palm as it supported her weight, and changed her position to kneeling beside Nate.

With a mischievous grin, she started picking up sand and piling it against his side, smoothing it over his skin and hoping it wouldn't tickle him awake. She glanced furtively behind her to check Sully was also still asleep, albeit in the more dignified position of leaning against the rocks.

She smirked to herself and returned to the important task at hand; sprinkling sand on Nate's shoulders, carefully spreading it over his sun-warmed (and appreciatively bare) chest. She leaned over him a little to reach his left side and start burying that arm too. All or nothing, she decided firmly.

Sitting back for a second, Elena observed her work. Both arms that were by his sides were now invisible, disappeared under sand. She sniggered to herself and took another handful of the stuff. Holding it above his stomach, she let it fall slowly in a trickle, then decided it was taking too long and just opened her hands, dumping the contents on Nate.

She expected him to be surprised and hopefully amused. She wasn't expecting for him to gasp as though she had slapped him awake instead, and shoot up into a sitting position, throwing the sand from his arms all over his face in doing so. Elena winced. Oops.

"Jesus f-" He cut off swearing in favour of using one arm to attempt to scrub the sand invading his face, leaning forward with knees drawn in, the other arm cradling his stomach.

Mystified, Elena sat back on her heels for a moment. Sand wasn't that heavy…? She heard Sully chuckling behind her and glanced around with a confused-but-still-amused expression. He winked at her and grinned, nodding towards Nate to refocus her attention.

She reached out to pat Nate's shoulder companionably, struggling to keep the smile off her face. He jerked his head up to look at her, blinking painfully against sand in his eyes, and groaned dramatically.

"Elena! What the hell was that for?!"

She was about to reply - and point out that he was being a little dramatic - when Nate tenderly drew back the hand from his stomach and she caught sight of the half-healed bullet wound underneath and froze, supping her hands to her face in a horrified way.

"Oh my god! Shit, Nate, I'm so sorry," Elena blurted out helplessly, appalled she had forgotten he had been shot just a mere month before. _Oh, brilliant care skills_ , she scolded herself. "I didn't think! Are you okay?"

She looked so horrified he couldn't help but start laughing, though it was half to stop himself crying out in pain because sand in a wound did hurt. Talking of which… "Peachy," he answered, wincing a little as he straightened up. "Talk about rubbing salt in a wound - too tame for you, huh?"

Sully helpfully voiced Nate's thoughts. "How did I even end up with you two," he sighed, shaking his head. Nate just laughed again and, ignoring the already fading pain, pulled Elena towards him for a kiss. Sully rolled his eyes and settled back again, having immediately woken at the kid's yell.

"Kids these days," he muttered, but with a secret smile. Nate drew back and glanced at Elena as Sully started to doze off again. She giggled quietly, nodding, and started to innocently pile the sand around Sully.

Nate grinned. Florida's sand instead of Tibet's snow was one of Elena's best ideas. He joined her in starting the human sandman together, sharing a mischievous smile with Elena. Sully _was_ asking for it now, after all.


End file.
